Rotary engine.



Patented Aug. 20, I90I.

NNN@ K .IIIV lllllllllrllll No. 680,747. Patented Aug. 2U, ISHII.`

J. L. WALKER. RUTARY ENGINE. (Application tiled Nov. 22, 190.) (No Model.) 2 Sheeis-Sheet 2.

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JOSEPH L. VALKER, OF COLUMBUS, KENTUCKY.

ROTARY ENGINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N o. 680,747, dated August 20, 1901.

Application filed November 22, 1900. Serial No. 37,381. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern.:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH L. WALKER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Columbus, in the county of Hickman and State of Kentucky, have invented a new and useful Rotary Steam-Engine, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to rotary engines, and has for its object to provide a simple and compactly arranged device in which the valves and the adjustable device for preventing back pressure of the steam are automatically operated to insure a. continuous and uninterrupted operation of the engine. It is furthermore designed to effectively house all of the operating parts, so as to be protected and at the same time conveniently accessible for repairs, and, finally, to provide for transferring power directly from one of the rotary parts of the engine, so as to dispense with intermediate gearing and reduce friction to a minimum.

Vith these and other objects in view the present invention consists in the combination and arrangement of parts, as will be hereinafter more fully described, shown in the accompanying drawings, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims, it being understood that changes in the form, proportion, size, and minor details may be made within the scope of the claims without departing from the spirit or sacrilicing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a' perspective view of a rotary engine constructed and arranged in accordance with the present invention. Fig. 2 is a transverse. sectional view taken at one side of the combined iy and belt wheel and through one of the steamchests. Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view taken at right angles to Fig. 2.

Like characters of reference designate corresponding parts in all of the figures of the drawings.

Referring to the drawings, l designates a rotary shaft, which is mounted in suitable frame-standards 2, the latter being spaced so as to receive the operating parts of the engine,which are mounted therebetween. Upon `an intermediate portion of the shaft there isv fixed a combined iiy and belt wheel 3, which is provided with an outer marginal rim or flange 4, that projects at opposite sides of the wheel, so as to provide a broad rim for the reception of a belt (not shown) and to afford means for automatically tripping the backpressure abutment, as will be hereinafter described.

As best indicated in Fig. 3, it will be seen that the present engine has two rotary pistons 5, iXed to the shaft and located at opposite sides of the combined belt and fiy wheel, each piston being partly located within the marginal rim of the wheel, so as to be housed thereby, and in close proximity thereto, so as to provide a compact engine. It will of course be understood that the pistons are arranged so that while the steam is exhausting at one side of the wheel live steam is being supplied to the piston at the opposite side of the wheel, thereby insuring a continuous and uninterrupted running of the engine. As each piston `and its cooperating parts are duplicates in construction and arrangement, a description of one is deemed sufficient.

Each rotary piston 5 is circular in shape and is housed within a casing 6, that is supported upon suitable legs 7, which are offset outwardly, so as to straddle the rim of the wheel, and thereby locate the casing partly within the plane of the rim of the wheel. It will be understood that there is a slight space between the back 8 of the casing and the adjacent side of the wheel, so as to obviate friction between these parts as the casing is fixed. A removable front plate 9 is bolted to the outer side of the casing, so as to give access to the interior of the casing and the rotary piston. As best indicated in Fig. 2 of the drawings, it will be seen that the interior of the casing is circular and somewhat larger than the piston, so as to form a Inarginal steam-space about the piston, and the latter is provided with a single radial pistonhead l0, projected radially from the peripheral edge of the piston and having its outer end lying close to the inner marginal edge of the casing, so as to receive the impact of the incoming live steam, whereby the piston is driven in the direction of the arrow shown in Fig. 2.

To insurea steam-tight joint between the IOO opposite sides of the piston and the respective inner sides of the casing, the latter are provided with the circular grooves 11, located slightly within the peripheraledge of the .piston for the reception of the respective packing-rings 12,which are held against the respective'sides of the piston by means of steam admitted tothe backs of the rings through inclined steam-passages 13, formed in the casing and opening at opposite ends into the marginal steam-space about the piston and into the backs of the respective grooves.

By reference to Fig. 2 of the drawings it will be seen that the upper portion of the casing is comparatively thick, and in this thickened end there is provided a socket or recess 14, which is designed to form the steam-chest, having the inlet-port 15 formed through one end of the bottom thereof and communicating with the steam-space of the casing. A suitable removable top 16 is employed to close the open upper side of the chest. Located within the chest is a laterally slidable or rocking cut-off valve 17, which has its free end working transversely across the inner end of the inlet-port, so as to control the same, and its opposite end is carried by a rocking stem 18, that passes upwardly through a suitable stufling-box in the top of the steam-chest. The upper portion of this valve-stem extends loosely through a perforation in a laterally-projected guideshoulder 19, carried by an extension of the back of the casing, and the free upper extremity of the stem is provided with a crankarm 20, having an outer terminal upwardlyextending pin or projection 21, which is loosely received within a cam -groove 22, formed in the inner marginal side of the rim or lian ge of the combined belt and fly wheel, whereby the valve 17 is automatically tripped by the revolution of the said wheel to supply and cut off the steam to the rotarjT piston.

A suitable exhaust-pipe 23 communicates with the steam-space about the piston and is located adjacent to and slightly in advance of the inlet-port 15, so that the exhaust may take place just before the inlet-port is opened for a new supply of steam.

To prevent back pressure of the expanding steam, there is provided an adjustable abutment 24, located intermediate of the exhaust and the inlet and adjacent to the latter. This abutment works transversely of the piston and is mounted in a socket or recess 25, formed in the thickened top of the casing and communicating with the annular steam-space thereof. The lower or inner end of the abutment is concaved, so as to lit snugly the peripheral edge of the piston, and also extends for the entire width of the annular steamspace, so as to close the same, whereby the expansive force of the steam is applied directly to the piston-head. For manipulating the abutment the same is provided with an esoy-ri' upwardly-directed stein 26, which passes up'- wardly through a suitable stuffing-box in the top of the casing and also projects loosely through a perforation in a laterally-projected guide-shoulder 27, carried by an upper extension of the back of the casing, the latter being extended above the guide-shoulder and provided with a vertical slot or bifurcation 28 for the reception of the lateral terminal arm 29 of the stem, said arm being received within a cam-groove 30,formed in the adjacent face of the belt-wheel,whereby the abutment is automatically raised or drawn outwardly,

so as to permit of the passage of the pistonhead across the inner end of the abutment. This cam-groove has its greater portion arranged concentrically with the shaft 1 and has an outwardly-deflected portion 3l,which is the part that draws the abutment outwardly by reason of the arm 29 following the course of the groove. The abutment-stein is preferably formed in two parts, the joint therebetween being located exteriorly of the casing and formed by a turnbuckle 32, so as to compensate for any expansion and contraction of the stem. A suitable coiled spring 33 is interposed between the guide projection or shoulder 27 and the annular shoulder on the stem formed by the turnbuckle, so as to yieldingly hold the abutment normally in engagement with the peripheral edge of the rotary piston.

In the operation of the engine steam is supplied to the steam-chest through a suitable supply-pipe 34, which is in communication with a source of supply and also opens into the steam-chestthrough the top thereof. The steam passes from the chest through 'the inlet-port 15 and into the annular steam-space about the rotary piston, where it strikes the piston-head 10, and thereby rotates the piston, the abutment 24 cutting od back pressure, which would result in equal pressure at opposite sides of the piston-head. It will be understood that the inlet-port 15 is open during the passage of the piston-head from said inlet to the exhaust, and immediately before the piston-head passes the exhaust the inlet is closed by reason of the valve-stem 18 being rocked by the outward deflection of the cam-groove 22 in the inner side of the rim of the belt-wheel in order that there may be no supply of steam during the exhaust of the expanded steam and while the piston-head is traveling from the exhaust to the steam-inlet. In ord er that the piston-head may freely pass the abutment without binding thereon, said abutment is automatically raised or withdrawn by the action of the deflected portion 31 of the cam-groove 30 in the combined belt and Hy wheel. It will be understood that the deiiected portions of the two cam-grooves bear a certain predetermined relation, so as to properly trip the valve and the abutment, and thereby insure a steady and continuous run- IOO IIO

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ning of the engine. Also the opposite steamchests and exhausts are arranged so that while one side or piston is being driven by the live steam the other side of the engine is exhausting, whereby the shaft is always being acted on by one or the other of the pistons.

For controlling the supply of steam to the steam-chests each supply-pipe, as best shown in Fig. l of the drawings, is provided with a governor-controlled valve 35, the governor 36 being driven from the shaft l by means of suitable gearing-as, for instance, by a belt 37whereby the speed of the engine will automatically control the supply of steam.

From the foregoing description it will be apparent that the present engine has a combined ily and belt or power wheel which is located between a pair of rotary pistons, so as to double the power of one piston and vat the same time have the entire engine arranged compactly and occupying but slightly more space than a single-piston engine. Moreover, the belt rim or flange of the wheel partly houses and protects the piston-casings, the valve-stems, and the abutment-stems, and if the flange is wide enough it may project outwardly beyond both casings, so as to entirely overhang the same. The parts of the engine are exceedingly simple and arranged for convenient access for repairs and at the same time are effectively housed. Also by reason of the adjustable feature of the abutmentstem the abutment may be conveniently set against the peripheral edge of the piston after the parts of the engine have been assembled, thereby insuring a proper iit of the abutment, and Wear may also be taken up.

What is claimed'isl. In a rotary engine, the combination with a shaft, of a flanged or rimmed combined fly and belt wheel mounted thereon, a rotary-piston casing located within the iiange or rim of the Wheel, a rotary piston mounted upon the shaft and Within the casing, a steam-inlet valve, an adjustable back-pressure abutment, and stems for the valve and the abutment, respectively, the adjacent face of the wheel and the inner side of the rim thereof having stem-operating cam-faces.

2. In a rotary engine, the combination with a shaft, of opposite rotary pistons mounted thereon, casings for the respective pistons, a combined fly and belt wheel mounted upon theshaft and between the pistons,inletvalves and back-pressure abutments for the respective pistons, and wheel-operated trip mechanisms for the valves and abutments.

3. In a rotary engine, the combination with a shaft, of opposite rotary pistons mounted thereon, casings for the pistons, a combined fly and belt wheel mounted upon the shaft, located between the pistons, and having an oppositely-projecting marginal rim or flange, inlet-valves and back-pressure abutments for the respective pistons, stems for the valves and the abutments, and stem-operating camfaces upon the opposite sides of the wheel and also upon the opposite inner side portions of the rim or flange of the wheel.

4E. In a rotary engine, the combination with a shaft, of a fly-wheel mounted thereon, and having cam-faces upon one side thereof, and also upon the inner side of the marginal rim of the wheel, a rotary piston mounted upon the shaft, a casing therefor, an inlet-valve having a crank-stem in operative relation to the cam-face upon the rim of the wheel, and a back-pressure abutment having a stem in operative relation with the cam-face upon the side of the wheel.

5. In a rotary engine, the combination with a shaft, of a iianged fly-Wheel mounted thereon, and having a marginal face-groove provided with a laterally and outwardly deflected portion, and a marginal groove formed in the inner face of the flange and having a laterally-deflected portion, an inlet-valve which rocks at substantially right anglesv to the plane of the wheel, and provided with a rocking stem, having a crank-arm, the extremity of which is received within the groove of the flange, and a back-pressure abutment which works in a plane substantially parallel to that of the wheel, and has an endwise-slidable stein, provided with a lateral arm having its' outer end received within the face-groove of the wheel.

6. In a rotary engine, the combination with a shaft, of a fly-Wheel mounted thereon, and having a marginal rim or iiange, one .face of the wheel having a substantially concentric cam, and the inner side of the flange or rim having a marginal cam-face, a rotary piston mounted upon the shaft, and having a casing, an inlet-valve, a back pressure abutment, an outwardly-projecting stem for the valve, and having a terminal lateral crankarm, which is provided with a lateral pin or projection working in frictional engagement with the cam-face of the fiange of the wheel, an outwardlyprojecting endwise-slidable abutment-stem, having a lateral terminal arm working in frictional engagement with the cam, lateral guides supported beyond the casing and having openings loosely receiving the respective stems, the guide for the abutmentstem having an outwardly-directed extension provided with a longitudinal slot slidably receiving the arm of said abutment-stem.

7. In a rotary engine, a rotary shaft, a rotary piston therefor, a fly-wheel also mounted upon the shaft, and having a marginal rim or iiange projected across the rotary piston, and provided on its inner side with a cam, an inlet-valve for the piston, an outwardly-projected valve-stem, having a crank-arm, and a terminal pin or projection in frictional engagement with the cam.

8. In a rotary engine, the combination with a rotary shaft, of a combined belt and fly IOO IIO

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Wheel mounted thereon, and provided upon engagement with the adjacent ezuns of the 1o opposite sides with cams, opposite rotary pis- Wheel.

tons mounted upon the shaft and upon op- In testimony that I Claim the foregoing as poste sides of the Wheel, oasings for the Iemy own I have hereto afxed my signature in speetive pistons, laterally-offset legs supportthe presence of two Witnesses.

ing the casings and straddling the flange of JOSEPH L. WALKER. the Wheel, inlet valves, and back-pressure Witnesses:

ubutments for the respective pistons, and W. T. `BURKS,

valve und abutment'stems in direct friotionzti F. W. CURREY. 

